Minx, the Magazine - Issue Two, Volume Two

For question number one, "If you have a long-term steady sweetheart, do the two of you have any special Valentine's traditions? Do you visit a special restaurant or have any rituals you like to celebrate with - bubble bath, candlelight, etc.?" we had some quite traditional answers:

"When I was married, we used to go to a favorite restaurant (The Melting Pot). It had soft, dim lighting. A great romantic place. Dinner is usually a 1-1 1/2 [hours]. Wonderful place for a romantic dinner or a great first time date. Enough time to talk and get to know each other. Would highly recommend it to others!!!!!!!"

"Long shower together, Some slow dancing music and a bottle of "very expensive" Napoleon Brandy. The rest comes naturally."

"We typically ignore Valentine's Day. I used to give Steve a unique silver bowl that I'd find at an antique store and fill it with his favorite candies, thinking he'd get the hint. However, with my birthday three days after Valentine's day, he would always figure that two gifts were unnecessary. Such a romantic."

"Kim and I always go to the same restaurant where I proposed to her....it is also the same place we first went......and we first went when we got back together.....I guess you could say it plays a part in our history...:)"

"Me and my husband visit a special restaurant that I love :-) They often have a guy walking around with a violin and they hand out roses to all the ladies. He also always gives me some roses and wonderful gifts !!"

"I haven't had a "steady sweetheart" on Valentine's in a long time...even when I was with a "steady," we were supposedly just "hanging out" for 3 years, so Valentine's Day didn't get a lot of recognition..but what I did love was the cards that he made me...he designed them on the computer..they were really unique. I like things made by hand."

Question two was, " If you don't have a steady sweetheart, what would you expect to do if you *had* one? In other words, what would your fantasy Valentine's Day be like?" Lots of you expect "stuff" rather than mere sentiment:

"Having little experience with relationships in general and Valentine's Day in particular, I've never cultivated a specific Valentine's Day fantasy. It would really depend on what the other person's fantasy is. The greatest satisfaction comes from fulfilling the wants and desires of the person you care about."

"Being single once again, with no steady, makes it easy to fantasize about the ideal Valentines Day. It would be nice to wake up with a sweet message on the machine, or a card waiting for me next to the coffee pot. An afternoon call, asking to go out for the evening. A romantic dinner and then return home for sips of champagne and lots of cuddling. ETC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

"1. Balloons ... NOT flowers !!
2. For dinner ... a picnic on the living room floor."

"...Whisked away for an elegant meal and off to a hotel suite prearranged with strawberries,chocolates, warm beverages, candles, soft music and a hottub or HUGE garden tub in the suite - for all-night/all morning lovemaking."

"Dream Valentines...Hmmm...that takes some thought...receiving flowers (unexpectedly) during the day with an invite to dinner at a lovely restaurant; getting allll dressed up and going to dinner (having champagne--WITH raspberries and a really luscious, creamy dessert); coming home sitting in front of a fire to cuddle and fall asleep in each others arms."

"Hmmmm, a "fantasy" Valentine's Day... Well, I'd have to say that, while many seem to want to re-live the past, I think it would be great to make each Valentine's Day a new experience, i.e. never do the same thing twice. One year in a bed & breakfast in Cape May, the next snowed in at the Poconos, one year basking in the Florida/Acapulco sun, the next watching the sun rise on the coast of Maine. New experiences are the essence of life and sharing them with the one you love is the whipped cream and cherry on top.... "

Question three, "Describe your most romantic Valentine's Day." Again, there's "stuff" involved. Personally, I think V Day can be romantic without dinners, cards, roses, candles, or sex.

" Honestly, I don't think I've had a romantic Valentine's Day. A nice one, before the husband and I were married. Our first married one was a disaster. He had bought wine, bread, cheese, etc. but NO VALENTINE'S CARD! When he bent over to give me a kiss, I bit his lip. He got very angry, flipped over the coffee table and stormed out of the house. I didn't see him the rest of the night. Apparently he spent it in low-class bar not far from where we lived in DC."

"The Cozy Inn, first a huge hot tub bubble bath with a glass of wine, then we dried each other off, he carried me to the bed where there was a fireplace lit and soft music playing and roses on the bed..... then oh la la .."

"No flowers .... no dinner .... but a very special poem."

"The best VD I remember involved most of the above, along with using warmed maple syrup to make the edible parts much more flavorful."

" My most romantic Valentine's Day was the first one with my current husband. We were married 2 months and he took me to a very romantic restaurant and gave me a dozen roses, a gift certificate for a "day of beauty" (which was awesome) and of course some of my favorite chocolates---fudge :-) We ended the evening...well ya know!"

"My most romantic Valentine's day (so far ;) would have to have been coming home from a 12 hour shift to a house full of candles and balloons and red ribbons hanging from the ceiling, a wonderful dinner, dessert and a relaxing and quiet evening with someone special... hmmm, or was that a dream?"

And finally, question four, "Or do you just think Valentine's Day is just another way to make Hallmark richer and should be banned?" got mixed reviews:

"I certainly don't discount Valentine's Day. If we can have holidays to commemorate war and death, we must have a holiday that celebrates love and romance. If Hallmark gets richer, then that's simply the American Way. No one is twisting anyone's arm to buy cards and gifts. Sure, there's an element of guilt involved, but I don't think people would do it if there wasn't at least a small part of their hearts that wanted to."

"Valentines Day is not only for lovers but for everyone that loves someone. My daughter and I enjoy our Valentines Day together. We do fun projects and make cookies etc.... We enjoy a nice dinner (even with candles) <~~ makes her feel extra special. Valentines Day is in the heart as all the holidays. Its up to you to decide which is for you or isnt. Its never just a HALLMARK moment. =o))"

"Valentines Day sucks"

"No, I don't think V's Day is one of those days. Things like: Secretaries Day, Grandparents Day, etc. etc., I believe are those kinds of "let's get 'em for another dollar" days."

"Lets just say, that the actions of romance between two people, can lead to the greatest rewards in life. Valentines day is a trophy time of year that calls for such celebration, but if the romance never ends, then Valentines day is in constant motion."

"Oh it definitely is another way to make the Florists richer, card stores richer, Russell Stovers or Godiva Chocolates richer, jewelers richer and the rest of us poorer until the next pay check."

"Banned? No. But I think for a lot of people, it's just another day. Many resent the pressure to buy candy, flowers, dinner for their mate or think up something romantic to do that day. Personally, I think small romantic gestures on any other day of the year mean more, simply because they aren't expected."

"Valentine's Day is a ridiculous holiday, surely thought up by crass commercial capitalists who were never single and dateless. It ranks right down there with New Year's Eve as the most over-rated occasions ever to feel sub-human about. Let's nuke VD."

"No, I think Valentine's day is important, if only as a reminder that we need to take time out for the one we love and show them that they and the relationship we share are a part of our life that would otherwise be empty (and a deep emptiness it is)..."

"Valentine's Day is just another day...If you have someone that you are truly in love with...You don't need a special day to show that love...It should be all year long..."